Newsletters Dev – Page 1136

Swords and Spaceships Apr 6

Post author By Jenn Northington
Post date April 5, 2018

Happy Friday, friends! This week I’m reviewing Company Town and Heart Forger, and we’re talking about the Hugo Award nominees, time travel, adaptation news, and more.

This newsletter is sponsored by Shattered Roads, first in a brand-new series from Alice Henderson.

In a future laid waste by environmental catastrophe H124 has one job: dead body removal. She keeps her head down and does as she’s told, until one night H124’s routine leads her into the underground ruins of an ancient university. Buried within it is an alarm set up generations ago sharing a terrifying warning of an extinction-level asteroid hurtling toward Earth.

But H124’s warning is not only ignored, it’s considered treason. H124 is hunted—and sent fleeing beyond the shield of her walled metropolis. In the weather-ravaged unknown, her only hope lies with a rebellious faction of survivors. She has no other choice: the end of the world is near.

The Hugos are coming! Or rather, the finalists have been announced. You’ll recognize a lot of the titles from the Nebula nominees. And this could be the award season that makes SF/F history! The first and second books in NK Jemisin’s Broken Earth trilogy won Hugo Awards for Best Novel in 2016 and 2017, respectively. If The Stone Sky wins this year’s award, it will make Jemisin the first author in history to win the Hugo Award for Best Novel three years in a row. I probably don’t have to tell you that I’m rooting for this, for so many reasons but most of all because The Stone Sky is one of the best third books in a trilogy I’ve ever read.

Neil Gaiman adapting Mervyn Peake: Gormenghast is coming to TV! I still have not read these. Adding it to the pile of SF/F books being adapted that I will get around to when I have a chance…

Let’s talk about time travel. I really enjoyed this explainer video that explores the different mechanisms in SF/F, including Time-Turners and Back to the Future.

Did you see A Wrinkle in Time? Many of BR’s contributors did, and they’ve got feelings about it. I also saw it and while I have some quibbles, I really enjoyed it overall — and if there’s any justice in this world, Storm Reid will be the next Emma Watson.

Today in tabletop gaming: I’m only familiar with Critical Role from the many gifs of it I’ve seen on Tumblr, but this post might finally push me to watch it.

Looking for good and cheap ebooks? The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula Le Guin, my personal favorite starting point for her work, is on sale for $3.99 this month. Also on sale for $2.99 is Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler, which Robin Sloan memorably declared America’s great sci-fi novel on Recommended.

Today in reviews, we’ve got serial killers and necromancy, but thankfully not at the same time.

Company Town by Madeline Ashby

Company Town was my first introduction to Ashby’s work; consider me intrigued. It’s a dense, multi-layered, action-packed novel with a near-future premise that feels completely possible as well as original. I originally picked it up because it was a Locus Award finalist in 2017, and I can see why.

The book follows Hwa, one of the last people in the community living on an offshore oil rig to remain genetically unaltered. She was born with a syndrome that has disfigured her face and left her with a large birthmark and a seizure disorder, and while bio-modification might benefit her she has turned it into an asset. Her lack of engineering means that she’s basically invisible to her city’s surveillance systems, which grants her certain advantages. She works as a bodyguard to the sex-workers in the community, until a corporation purchases the rig and hires her to protect the owner’s teenaged son Joel. Not only is Joel in danger, but someone is murdering her old clients.

Company Town is both a whodunnit, an exploration of vulnerable and marginalized populations, and a science fiction story that gets stranger as it goes along. Months after reading I’m still trying to decide how I feel about the ending, and I’m not the only one; if you look up reviews, you’ll see that everyone has thoughts. It’s an ambitious novel, and one that I wish I had read with a group; maybe try to talk your book club into reading it along with you.

The Heart Forger (The Bone Witch #2) by Rin Chupeco

You might recall my gushing about The Bone Witch when it came out last year; I’ve been eagerly awaiting the next installment, and I am here to tell you that I was not disappointed.

Tea is a necromancer in a world that both needs and fears her, and The Bone Witch inhabited two timelines: Tea’s present attempts to build an undead army of demonic creatures, and the road to how she got there. The Heart Forger continues with this structure, as Tea takes her army on the road and begins to reveal her plans. While we’re still finding out exactly how things have come to this point, the alternating chapters play off each other in new and interesting ways. Heart Forger also continues the world-building of Bone Witch a bit but focuses primarily on plot, and the pacing moves along much more quickly. Those who loved Bone Witch for its lush details may miss the exposition; those who wanted more action will get it, and how.

There were a few bits of character and plot development that left me scratching my head, but overall the series continues to be inclusive, compelling, and readable. And while a few major questions are finally answered, there are miles to go before we get to the end. So now I’m left hungrily awaiting Shadowglass; join me, won’t you?

And that’s a wrap! You can find all of the books recommended in this newsletter on a handy Goodreads shelf. If you’re interested in more science fiction and fantasy talk, you can catch me and my co-host Sharifah on the SFF Yeah! podcast. For many many more book recommendations you can find me on the Get Booked podcast with the inimitable Amanda.

Your fellow booknerd,
Jenn

Unusual Suspects

A Very Inconvenient Habit of Killing Her Boyfriends…

Post author By Jamie Canaves
Post date April 5, 2018

Hello mystery fans! Rami Malek needs to star in a PI series and these candid photos are proof. Seriously, I would watch the hell out of him starring as a PI–even an amateur sleuth–in a series and I’ll take dark and gritty or fun and silly.

Wishlist upcoming releases you’re dying to read. Get exclusive podcasts and newsletters. Enter to win swag. Do it all when you join Insiders — and between April 15 and 30, you can get a free 2-week trial for Novel Monthly or Annual!
Subscribe to Book Riot Insiders!

Let’s start with some things you may have missed from Rioters and the internet:

On the Read or Dead podcast Rincey and Katie talk about Katie’s visit to Lizzie Borden’s house, recent mystery news, and recent/upcoming reads.

Rioter Sarah Ullery has 50 (fifty!) of the best audiobooks for fans of thrillers.

I’ve got 10 Dark Family Secrets for you in order of least dark crime novel to oozing with darkness.

If you’re looking for British Cozy Mysteries to read Kristen McQuinn has 7 for you.

20 Big Mysteries & Thrillers of Spring according to Goodreads, and more posts for their Mystery & Thriller Week

Adaptation News:

In you-had-me-at-the-title My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite will not only publish from Doubleday in November BUT it also has been optioned by Working Title. I am here for both the book and any adaptation because this is the description; “Satire meets slasher in this short, darkly funny hand grenade of a novel about a Nigerian woman whose younger sister has a very inconvenient habit of killing her boyfriends.”

And in adaptation news for back catalog titles (17 years back) The Earthquake Bird by Susanna Jones–“a Tokyo-set female-driven noir thriller”– will be adapted by Netflix and Scott Free Productions.

Not technically an adaptation, but “The Netflix projects will be complemented by a 2019 book series” and I’m super excited that Gina Rodriguez will be Carmen Sandiego so here’s an article from Quartz: Netflix is Learning How in the World to Play the Franchise Game with Carmen Sandiego

A TV adaptation of Amor Towles’ novel A Gentleman in Moscow will star Kenneth Branagh.

Sad news:

Philip Kerr, author of the Bernie Gunther series, has passed away.

Interviews:

Walter Mosley talks writing and his novels in this short video.

“But, if anyone saw my browsing history, someone would call the cops.” Alex Segura (Pete Fernandez PI series) talks to Laura Lippman about her work, including her latest Sunburn (review).

Watch That Read This:

For fans of procedurals who want a quick, satisfying, and well acted binge, Collateral is streaming on Netflix (Trailer). Starring Carey Mulligan, John Simm, and Billie Piper, British detectives are trying to solve the very randomly appearing shooting of a pizza delivery man. It follows a bunch of different characters while slowly unwinding the mystery in 4 episodes that are just under an hour each.

A great followup read, that is a fantastic series, which also incorporates current political issues is A Dangerous Crossing (Rachel Getty & Esa Khattak #4) by Ausma Zehanat Khan. (Review)

And if when you’re finished binging you’re wondering when there will be a season 2 the answer is most likely never (spoilers). Also, it was nice that they didn’t make a big deal out of Mulligan’s pregnancy and make her hide behind furniture or something.

Watch Now:

Killing Eve (based on Luke Jennings‘ Villanelle novellas) premieres on BBC America on April 8th. I’ve been really looking forward to this because it stars Sandra Oh but I’m also really intrigued by the premise: “Two women — equally obsessed with each other — go head to head in an epic game of cat and mouse.” (Trailer) (1st episode on EW)

Spinning Man: Based on a novel by George Harrar, the film about a professor with a missing female student and a reputation for “off-campus dalliances” leads his wife to doubt his alibi. Starring Pierce Brosnan, Minnie Driver, and Guy Pearce. (Trailer)

Chappaquiddick: A look at the 1969 drowning of Mary Jo Kopechne when Ted Kennedy drove his car off a bridge. The film stars Jason Clarke, Kate Mara, and Ed Helms. (Trailer) As for books, there’s been quite a few written: Chappaquiddick Speaks by Bill Pinney / Death at Chappaquiddick by Richard L. Tedrow, Thomas L. Tedrow / Senatorial Privilege: The Chappaquiddick Cover-Up by Leo Damore / The Bridge at Chappaquiddick by Jack Olsen

Kindle Deals:

The World’s Greatest Detective by Caroline Carlson is $6.99 (Delightful– review)

The Plot Is Murder (Mystery Bookshop) by V.M. Burns is $2.99

And if you’re making your way through Anne Holt’s series No Echo and Beyond the Truth are each $0.99

And a Bit of My Week In Reading:

Finished listening to The Escape Artist by Brad Meltzer which didn’t have great representation and relied way too much on kickass women need tragic abusive childhoods but it satisfied my need for a political thriller. Intense opening, and I loved the whole mortician in the army angle.

Also finished reading A Death of No Importance by Mariah Fredericks (April 10, Macmillan) which is a really good read for fans of historical fiction–the character had a great voice that sucked me in immediately.

I downloaded the egalley of You All Grow Up and Leave Me : A Memoir of Teenage Obsession by Piper Weiss (April 10, William Morrow) A true crime memoir that I’m going to go devour now so see ya’ll lovely mystery lovers next week!

ALSO Book Riot is hiring an Advertising Sales Manager. We strongly encourage women, individuals with disabilities, and people of color to apply. To view position description and apply, go here.

Browse all the books recommended in Unusual Suspects previous newsletters on this shelf. And here’s an Unusual Suspects Pinterest board.

Until next time, keep investigating! And in the meantime come talk books with me on Twitter, Instagram, and Litsy–you can find me under Jamie Canaves.

If a mystery fan forwarded this newsletter to you and you’d like your very own you can sign up here.

True Story

16 Nonfiction Favorites Now Out in Paperback

Post author By Kim Ukura
Post date April 5, 2018

Hello, fellow humans! This week’s newsletter is my quarterly-ish update on some of the great nonfiction books that have come out in paperback in the last few months.

I think I’ve mentioned before how about paperback is my preferred reading format. I still love physical books, but hardcovers are both expensive and heavy to carry around. I think a trade paperback is the perfect way to read, so I’m always looking for the moment when a book I’ve been coveting finally releases in paperback. Here are 16 that I think are worth your dollars and attention:

Sponsored by THE MANSON WOMEN AND ME by Nikki Meredith published by Citadel Press.

Journalist Nikki Meredith writes of her experience visiting Leslie Van Houten and Patricia Krenwinkel in prison…As Meredith got to know Krenwinkel and Van Houten over the years, she increasingly came to wonder how seemingly normal people can come to commit such vicious, barbaric acts. Meredith asks the questions that have nagged many of us for years—how does this happen?

Another Day in the Death of America by Gary Younge – A look at American gun violence through stories of the 10 children killed in a single 24-hour period. This one is incredible.

The Unsettlers by Mark Sundeen – A work of immersive journalism about people in “search through the simple life in today’s America.”

Storm in a Teacup by Helen Czerski – An introduction to the world of physics told through everyday life like popping popcorn and fridge magnets.

The One-Cent Magenta by James Barron – “Inside the quest to own the most valuable stamp in the world.”

Word by Word by Kory Stamper – The secret life of dictionaries as told by a lexicographer and editor for Merriam-Webster!

American Hookup by Lisa Wade – An analysis of hookup culture on college campuses, tied to a broader history of sexuality, higher education and feminism.

All the Lives I Want by Alana Massey – “Essays about my best friends who happen to be famous strangers.”

Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann – An investigation into the historical murders of members of the Osage Nation, and the early story of the FBI.

Age of Anger by Pankaj Mishra – An attempt to explain the current wave of “paranoid hatreds” that have become nearly everyday occurrences in the modern world.

Somebody with a Little Hammer by Mary Gaitskill – A wide-ranging essay collection that includes political adultery, Björk, and porn star Linda Lovelace.

Love and Trouble by Claire Dederer – A middle-aged mother reflecting on how the emotional intensity of her teenage years mimics her emotional experience now.

The Home that Was Our Country Alia Malek – A history of Syria told through the stories of people who lived in the same apartment building as the author’s grandparents.

The Stranger in the Woods by Michael Finkel – “The extraordinary story of the last hermit” and a meditation on the value and difficulty of solitude in the modern world.

Radium Girls by Kate Moore – The true story of hundreds of girls who toiled in factories painting radium on clock dials, before anyone knew radium could cause immeasurable harm.

Cannibalism by Bill Schutt – A history of cannibalism and the role it plays in evolution and human history.

Dear Friend, from My Life I Write to You in Your Life Yiyun Li – A love letter to books written over two years where the author was battling suicidal depression.

Over at Book Riot…

Steph shared six words of narrative journalism that challenge long-held beliefs. I’ve only read one book on the list – Being Mortal by Atul Gawande – but the rest also sound fascinating!

My For Real podcast co-host, Alice, suggests five books about overcoming obstacles. So inspiring!

I also loved Lisa’s post of books by disabled people to tell their own stories. She makes some great points about what it means for abled people to speak on behalf of the disabled, and encourages readers to listen better.

Love cosmetics? Hattie has seven makeup books for cosmetics geeks. This is… not me, but this is a fun list anyway.

ALSO! Book Riot is hiring an Advertising Sales Manager. We strongly encourage women, individuals with disabilities, and people of color to apply. To view position description and apply, go here.

And that’s all for this week! Find me on Twitter @kimthedork, and co-hosting the For Real podcast here at Book Riot. Happy reading!

Riot Rundown TestRiotRundown

040518-AmericanbyDay-Riot-Rundown

Post author By Natalia Heroux
Post date April 5, 2018

Today’s Riot Rundown is sponsored by American by Day by Derek B. Miller

A gripping and timely novel that follows Sigrid—the dry-witted detective from Derek B. Miller’s best-selling debut Norwegian by Night—from Oslo to the United States on a quest to find her missing brother

Today In Books

THUG Re-Shoots With RIVERDALE Star: Today in Books

Post author By Sharifah Williams
Post date April 4, 2018

This edition of Today in Books is sponsored by Avery / TarcherPerigee, publisher of 50 WAYS TO GET A JOB by Dev Aujla.

The Hate U Give Is Re-shooting With Riverdale Star

Late yesterday, we received word that the adaptation will be re-shot with Riverdale star K.J. Apa who will replace actor Kian Lawley as the protagonist’s boyfriend. Though the film had wrapped up shooting, the switch was necessitated by the discovery of a video that showed Lawley making racial slurs. Angie Thomas’s The Hate U Give is about racism, so that was a “no” for keeping Lawley on the cast.

Man Booker Reverses Decision On Nationality Listing

We have an update on the news about the Man Booker changing long listed author Wu Ming-Yi’s nationality from Taiwan to Taiwan, China. After receiving criticism for bowing to pressure from China, the Man Booker’s organizers announced that they would list the country/territory of authors up for the prize, rather than their nationalities, in the future. Wu’s listing will go back to “Taiwan.” Of the decision, Wu wrote that the “prize has affirmed that the will of literature is based on honesty and freedom.”

Joan Silber Wins PEN/Faulkner Award

Silber won the award for Fiction for her book of linked stories, Improvement. Last month, she also won the National Book Critics Circle fiction prize for Improvement. The story is one told from multiple points of view, circling a single mother living in New York with a boyfriend who conducts a cigarette smuggling scheme.

What's Up in YA

YA Adaptations Are The News, Queer YA Talk, and More Links for YA Readers

Post author By Kelly Jensen
Post date April 4, 2018

Hey YA Readers!

Let’s catch up on the latest news and happenings.

“What’s Up in YA” is sponsored by As She Fades by Abbi Glines.

On the night of her high school graduation, Vale McKinley and her boyfriend Crawford are in a terrible car accident that leaves Crawford in a coma.

Slate Allen, a college friend of Vale’s brother, has been visiting his dying uncle at the same hospital. When he and Vale meet, she can’t deny the flutter of an illicit attraction. She tries to ignore her feelings, but she’s not immune to Slate’s charm. Slowly, they form a cautious friendship.

Then, Crawford wakes up . . . with no memory of Vale or their relationship. Heartbroken, Vale opts to leave for college and move on with her life. Except now, she’s in Slate’s territory, and their story is about to take a very strange turn.

It seems like every time I collect the latest news in YA worth sharing, there are a ton of adaptations. This week’s collection won’t be different — but they’re all so good that it’s hard not to get excited about what we’ll soon feast our eyes upon.

Sundance winner and YA adaptation The Miseducation of Cameron Post finally has a distributor and you’ll be able to watch it this summer.
Netflix will adapt The Wicked Deep, which should adapt to the screen really well.
Speaking of atmospheric YA reads perfectly ripe for adaptation, here’s news on The Hazel Wood.
And here’s news about Sarah J. Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses coming to the big screen.
This summer (!!) we’ll get to watch To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before on Netflix.
The male lead of The Hate U Give has been recast.
How about the teen slasher book There’s Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins being made into a slasher film? I’m 100% here. for. this.
This is a fascinating dive into the magazine Teen Boss. Put this in the “YA adjacent” column of links, but I can’t stop thinking about it and needed to share it.
Teenagers suggest creative ways to connect classic texts to today’s life. Brilliant. Today’s teenagers are seriously brilliant.
The Giant Days comic will be adapted into a YA novel.
The Broadway play “Dear Evan Hanson” will also become a YA novel.
Thinly veiled metaphors in young adult dystopian fiction. This had me in stitches.
Audiobook Sync is back this month! You can snag a free pair of audiobooks each week, with tons of great YA titles included.
There are more queer YA books being published, but are queer girls being left behind? And another thoughtful Bustle piece worth reading: YA novels which are queer reads but under the radar, for young readers who aren’t out (or have other challenges preventing them from reading queer YA openly).
Tomi Adeyemi on writing the biggest book of 2018 so far.
YA books to read if you love Black Panther.
This YA book tour — the Belles and Brujas — looks super fun.

Cheap Reads…

Snag these YA books in eform for not a lot of dough:

You can read Leigh Bardugo’s take on Wonder Woman for $2.

Pick up Jessica Spotswood’s first contemporary YA novel Wild Swans for $2.50.

The fantasy novel The Falconer by Elizabeth May is a whopping 60 cents.

____________________

Thanks for hanging out this week and we’ll meet you back here again soon.

–Kelly Jensen, @veronikellymars on Twitter and Instagram.

Check Your Shelf

1 Billion Items Borrowed on Overdrive, Film Adaptation Read Alikes, & More Librarian Must-Reads

Post author By Kelly Jensen
Post date April 4, 2018

Welcome to Check Your Shelf! This is your guide to all things book talk worth knowing to help librarians like you up your game when it comes to doing your job (& rocking it).

“Check Your Shelf” is sponsored this week by Stewie BOOM by Christine Bronstein from Nothing But The Truth Publishing.

Stewie BOOM! and Princess Penelope get ready to have a fabulous play-date with Eric, their awesome friend with autism. This book delves into many ways families can embrace neuro-diversity.

Libraries & Librarians

25 libraries every voracious reader must visit. These are some gorgeous spaces.
Regina Anderson was a powerful librarian behind the scenes during the Harlem Renaissance, and this profile of her is outstanding.
Yes, bookmobiles are still a thing. We know this, of course, but the piece is really good despite the headline.

Book Adaptations in the News

The Wicked Deep, a brand new YA book which already hit the bestseller list, is going to be made into a film.
Sundance film winner The Miseducation of Cameron Post has a distributor and will be hitting big screens this summer.
Have you been keeping pace with the number of Stephen King adaptations in the works over the next couple of years? Here’s another one for your list.

Books in the News

Make sure you’re prepared for the holds that’ll come for the new Nicholas Sparks book.
Parent-child reading is tied to psychological benefits. As librarians, we know this, but having more research to highlight about it doesn’t hurt.
There’s a new Khaled Hosseini book coming out, and here’s a look at the cover and what it’s about. It might not be a full novel, but readers will be excited to see it.
Two new Charlotte Brontë manuscripts are being published!

By The Numbers

Who doesn’t read in America? As much as this headline feels gloom and doom, the data isn’t surprising — and let’s also look at the fact a lot of Americans are reading.
Responses came to that data, of course, including this look at the science behind why we should be prioritizing reading.
How about this number: 1 BILLION items have been borrowed via Overdrive since it began in 2013.
And here are the top 10 most-borrowed authors on Overdrive of all time. There is not a single author of color on this list.
Black Panther is absolutely crushing it at the box office.

Award News

Here are this year’s Hugo Award nominees.
The 2018 PEN/Hemingway Award winner has been announced. If you don’t have a copy of this in your collection yet, grab one! This award often predicts big things for the author.
Jacqueline Woodson won a huge cash award with the Astrid Lindgren prize.

Pop Cultured

For readers who love Ready Player One, 25 more books to read.
Meredith Vieira will be hosting PBS’s series “The Great American Read.”
Books for readers who love Love, Simon (or the book).

All Things Comics

The New York Times is starting a graphic novels and comics column.
Great graphic essays and short stories.
14 inclusive comics about coming of age.
An all-star line up has been announced for this comic anthology that’s being made in response to the Las Vegas shooting last fall.

Audiophilia

This list of the 50 best audiobooks of all time isn’t especially surprising. It’s a lot of big-title books, with only a few authors of color represented. BUT: it’s worth reading and thinking about lists like this, as it’s what patrons who want to get started with audiobooks are finding in their search, and it could be a great resource for starting RA with new listeners.
How listening to audiobooks changed the way I read.
Fifty nifty thrillers on audio.
Celebrity-read audiobooks that are worth the time.
Jeremy Irons + TS Eliot. It’s a thing.

Book Lists, Book Lists, Book Lists

This is from last summer but so good, it’s worth a share: 22 ambassadors recommend one book to read before visiting their country. An excellent book display idea and/or means of expanding reading horizons.
The best nonfiction of 2018 so far.
35 must-read books by women from the last 5 years.
25 classic crime novels you can read in an afternoon.
Thrillers for your spring reading and ordering lists.
Books to honor the life of Martin Luther King, Jr, who died 50 years ago this month.
50 must-read board books, for when your collection needs a refresh.
British cozy mysteries: a guide to the genre and a reading list.
Six books by “gravely” disabled people you should read.
If This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp is constantly checked out or readers want more books like it, here’s a place to start ’em.
50 must-read classics in translation.

Bookish Curiosities

Hello, weird cookbooks!
7 tips for how to read more books. These are practical and realistic.
Less curiosity, more timeliness: 47 great authors on their favorite poems.

Level Up

Do you take part in LibraryReads, the monthly list of best books selected by librarians only? Whether or not you read and nominate titles, we’ll end every newsletter with a few upcoming titles worth reading and sharing (and nominating for LibraryReads, if you so choose!). Links here will direct to Edelweiss digital review copies. These books hit shelves in July, giving you plenty of time to read and nominate accordingly.

An Ocean of Minutes by Thea Lim: “In the vein of The Time Traveler’s Wife and Station Eleven, a sweeping literary love story about two people who are at once mere weeks and many years apart.”
How To Love A Jamaican: Stories by Alexia Arthurs: “From a magnetic new voice, a debut story collection set in Jamaica and America for readers of Zadie Smith, Helen Oyeyemi, and Imbolo Mbue.”
Fruit of the Drunken Tree by Ingrid Rojas Contreras: “A mesmerizing debut set against the backdrop of the devastating violence of 1990’s Colombia about a sheltered young girl and a teenage maid who strike an unlikely friendship that threatens to undo them both.”

How adorable are these vintage school library advertisements made into coasters? Grab ’em for $14.

____________________

Thanks for hanging out! We’ll see you back here in two weeks with another edition of Check Your Shelf.

–Kelly Jensen, @veronikellymars on Twitter and Instagram.

Currently reading Valley Girls by Sarah Nicole Lemon.

Giveaways

Win a 12-Month Audible Membership!

Post author By Jeff O'Neal
Post date April 4, 2018

We have a 12-month Audible membership to give away, courtesy of Macmillan audio.

You’ll get one credit per month for a full year that you can use on any Audible title. New releases. Old favorites. Something fun, something serious. Totally up to you.

To enter for your chance to win, fill out the entry form below, including signing up for Hear, Here: Macmillan Audio’s newsletter newsletter featuring exclusive audiobook information about your favorite authors, new releases, advance clips, special offers and more.

Go here to enter for your chance to win, or just click the image below. Good luck!

Audiobooks

New Audiobooks for April

Post author By Katie MacBride
Post date April 4, 2018

Happy April, Audiophiles!

A new month means new audiobooks for your listening pleasure! There are tons to get to, so let’s dive right in. As always, I’ve put the publisher descriptions in quotes.

Sponsored by The Neuroscientist Who Lost Her Mind by Barbara K. Lipska

As a deadly cancer spread inside her brain, leading neuroscientist Barbara Lipska was plunged into madness—only to miraculously survive with her memories intact. In the tradition of My Stroke of Insight and Brain on Fire, this powerful memoir recounts her ordeal, and explains its unforgettable lessons about the brain and mind.

The Recovering written and read by Leslie Jamison; release date: 04-03-18

I’m halfway through this audiobook and thus far it’s excellent. Granted, this is a pretty easy sell for me: Leslie Jamison is a female writer who got sober in her 20s. I’m all those things too, but instead of being Leslie Jamison, I’m just a Leslie Jamison fan. The Recovering is part memoir, part meditation on writers, creativity, and booze. As someone who used to wake up and crack open a bottle of vodka before sitting down at my desk (because Hemingway?) before writing a bunch of gibberish and passing out….well, yes, this book is right up my alley. But if you’re a fan of Jamison (which if you’ve read her is pretty hard not to be), you can’t go wrong with this title.

Meaty written and read by Samantha Irby; release date: 04-03-18

As you may know, I loooove Sam Irby. My sister was kind enough to gift me her first collection of essays (Meaty) years ago and I got hooked on both the book and her blog (bitches gotta eat). She topped many a “best of” list in 2017 with her collection of essays, “we are never meeting in real life.” Now, she’s updated and expanded her first collection of essays and please trust me when I say if you liked WANMIRL, you will NOT be disappointed with Meaty.

Failing Up : How to Take Risks, Aim Higher, and Never Stop Learning written and read by Leslie Odom Jr; release date: 04-10-18

Leslie Odom Jr. shot to fame in 2015 as Aaron Burr in the original Broadway Cast of Hamilton. This short audiobook (running time three hours thirty-seven minutes) “asks the questions that will help you unlock your true potential and achieve your goals even when they seem impossible. What work did you put in today that will help you improve tomorrow? How do you surround yourself with people who will care about your dreams as much as you do? How do you know when to play it safe and when to risk it all for something bigger and better?” If you’re looking for inspiration and insight from a super talented guy, this is a safe bet.

A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership written and read by James Comey

Who is James Comey? Is he the man who cost Hillary Clinton the election? Is he the man whose firing might be the catalyst for Trump’s impeachment? Or is he just a guy who tweets pictures of waterfalls alongside Martin Luther King Jr. quotes? Lordy, who knows?! Listen to the audiobook, narrated by the man himself, and find out.

The Home for Unwanted Girls by Joanna Goodman; narrated by Saskia Maarleveld; release date: 04-17-18

“‘Philomena’ meets ‘The Orphan Train’ in this suspenseful, provocative novel filled with love, secrets, and deceit – the story of a young unwed mother who is forcibly separated from her daughter at birth and the lengths to which they go to find each other.”

War on Peace: The End of Diplomacy and the Decline of American Influence written and read by Ronan Farrow; release date: 04-24-18

Ronan Farrow is the dogged reporter behind the New Yorker expose of Harvey Weinstein. Before he was a reporter, however, he was a diplomat. His experiences in this role are the core of this book. “In an astonishing account ranging from Washington, DC, to Afghanistan, Pakistan, and North Korea in the years since 9/11, Farrow illuminates one of the most consequential and poorly understood changes in American history…Farrow’s narrative is richly informed by interviews with whistle-blowers, policymakers, and a warlord, from Henry Kissinger to Hillary Clinton. Diplomacy, Farrow argues, has declined after decades of political cowardice, short-sightedness, and outright malice – but it may just offer America a way out of a world at war.”

You Think It, I’ll Say It: Stories by Curtis Sittenfeld; narrated by Emily Rankin and Mark Deacon; release date: 04-24-18

The author of Prep, American Wife, and Eligible releases her first collection of short stories later this month. In it, she “upends assumptions about class, relationships, and gender roles in a nation that feels both adrift and viscerally divided. In ‘The World Has Many Butterflies’, married acquaintances play a strangely intimate game with devastating consequences. In ‘Vox Clamantis in Deserto’, a shy Ivy League student learns the truth about a classmate’s seemingly enviable life.” Sittenfeld at her best reminds me of some of my favorite short story writers (Lorrie Moore, Robin Black) and I’m excited to see if that plays out in this collection.

OK, this one isn’t from April, it was released last month but somehow I missed it and I must atone for my grievous mistake.

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Presents a Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo by Marlon Bundo, Jill Twiss; narrated by Jim Parsons, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Jeff Garlin, Ellie Kemper, John Lithgow, Jack McBrayer, RuPaul; release date: 03-18-18

The book that started out as a spoof of the book Vice President Pence’s wife wrote (about a day in the life of the VP, from the perspective of his bunny Marlon Bundo) became an overnight bestseller. “With a message of tolerance and advocacy, this charming children’s book explores issues of same sex marriage and democracy. Beautifully performed by an all-star cast, featuring Jim Parsons, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Jeff Garlin, Ellie Kemper, John Lithgow, Jack McBrayer, and RuPaul, this sweet and funny story is dedicated to every bunny who has ever felt different.”

Did you listen to anything last month that you loved? Are you looking forward to an upcoming release? Let me know or just say hey at katie@riotnewmedia.com or on Twitter at msmacb.

Until next week,

~Katie

Kissing Books

Romance Has a Race Problem

Post author By Jessica Pryde
Post date April 4, 2018

Well, since we last spoke, romance twitter has been calling out the racism in romance that so many authors have not felt the confidence to speak of before. Having never gone to the RWA national conference and having only ever gone to one chapter meeting for my local RWA, and of course, having never made any attempt to publish, I don’t have anything worthwhile to contribute.